TV Report Card: Week of January 23, 2011

Here is this week's TV Report Card:

Sunday
Hawaii Five-0: "Kaie'e"

CBS made the wise decision to showcase Hawaii Five-0 after the most watched AFC Championship Game, and they picked a good episode to represent the series. "Kaie'e" was about 5-0 investigating a fake tsunami warning that was fabricated by a bitter Coast Guard commander who was planning on stealing the stash of money that our good guys dipped into to save Chin Ho's life. I'll admit that most of the episode was not plausible, but there was enough action, laughs, and intrigue to keep me satisfied. I'm also a big fan of Kamekona (Taylor Wily), so I was glad to see him get some serious screen time as he looked after Dan's daughter.

GRADE: B

Monday
Chuck: "Chuck vs. The Gobbler"

The original 13 episodes of Chuck's fourth season are coming to an end, and unfortunately the show isn't have the strong ending that it is used to. "Chuck vs. The Gobbler" showed us Sarah's new life as a rouge agent trying to get an in with Volkoff and what she's willing to do to convince him that she's turned a new leaf like kill John Casey. All of the Sarah is a Double Agent plot points would have had more of an impact if we were given time to build up to this episode, but this season's been so rushed that we never had the luxury. "Gobbler" still had some entertaining moments, but overall it was a small step back from last week's slightly above average "Chuck vs. The Balcony". I'm still confident that next week's episode will make return the show to form.

GRADE: C+

Greek: "All About Beav"

After a slow start, Greek started to win me back and it's no coincidence that this week's episode put the spotlight on one of the show's best supporting characters: Beaver. After getting on F on a paper he bought, Beav was on mission to find a way to turn in a new assignment for a re-grade, and somehow he ended up spending the day with Casey who was also looking for a quick fix to solve her issues with law school. Along the way, the recently returned Katherine ended up tagging along. First off, Beaver (Aaron Hill) was hilarious and his shtick didn't wear thin like it could have, and it was nice watching his character develop. Also, pairing him with Casey was brilliant because they had a genuine chemistry, and adding Katerine to the mix was too much awesome to handle. Oh yeah, and then there was Heath. Too good for words. Else where on the CRU campus, Becks was busy making Evan jealous while Ashleigh broke up Rusty and Dana. The B and C-plots were contrived (Rusty/Dana/Ashleigh) and repetitive (Cappie/Evan/Rebecca), but Beav's journey easily made up for the rough patches.

GRADE: B+

Castle: "Knockdown"

In past Report Cards, I've written about how I don't need a lot from Castle to enjoy it. I'm usually happy if I get some witty banter and cute Caskett moments, but usually once or twice a year we get an episode that amps up the drama which takes the show to a new level (last season's "Tick, Tick, Tick" comes to mind). "Knockdown" was one of those episodes. This week Kate and her team got more information about her mother's killer, but like with any good mystery it just led to more questions. Some times it's easy to forget that this show has an on-going case to solve because it's started to rely so much on the chemistry between Rick and Kate. I'm by no means complaining, and we don't need every episode to focus on her mother's murder, but it's a nice change of pace every now and then. What's even better was the fact that the comedy and romantic elements weren't sacrificed for the darker tone of "Knockdown". Oh yeah, and there was the kiss between Castle and Beckett which was the definition of a game changer.

GRADE: A

Tuesday
White Collar: "Forging Bonds"

Flashback episodes that double as origin stories can be hit or miss, and "Forging Bonds" was somewhere in the middle. It was novel seeing Neal before he became the suave con man that he is today, and it was even entertaining seeing Peter in his Magnum-style stache. The back stories about the music box, Kate, and Alex were also appreciated, but "Forging Bonds" wasn't perfect. The biggest problem I had with the episode was how it implied that everything was set in motion with one act, in this case Neal meeting Mozzie. It's just hard to believe that the entire White Collar world sprung from a chance encounter, and nothing we know existed prior to a three-card monte scam. Narrative nitpicking aside, "Forging Bonds" was a decent episode but a notch below last week's superb "Burke's Seven".

GRADE: B-

Wednesday
Cougar Town: "Lost Children"

This week's Cougar Town had the right amount of zaniness and heart, but unfortunately it also had way too much Jules. The Cul-De-Sac Crew's movie night was spoiled by Jules, so she came up with an oddball version of hide-n-seek which annoyed Ellie. Also, Andy was mad at Grayson while Bobby hid his new girlfriend from the judgement of his friends. The actual storylines were weak like how Grayson's teasing upset Andy due to high school traumas. First off, the reasoning behind Andy's displeasure was cliched, and you'd think this issue would have come out in the almost two years they've known each other. The Ellie/Jules fight was a letdown because it's taken so long for it to actually happen, and I'm never a fan of Jules at her worst. The only sub-plot that was entertaining was Bobby and Laurie (aka Beef 'n Bubbles). Weak stories aside, the jokes were funny and the way the Andy/Grayson and Bobby/Laurie stories wrapped up were nice.

GRADE: B-

Friday Night Lights: "The March"

Sometimes FNL is so realistic that we have to remember that it's fiction and susceptible to plot devices that are not always believable for the sake of story. "The March" had some moments that rang true while others felt hollow. East Dillon's march (get it) towards State was fast forwarded as we got multiple rounds in one episode, but it was a necessary approach. While the Lions won on the field, Coach had to fight to keep his program afloat off of it. Budget cuts and athletic programs being axed are real, but having two schools share one football team was the first "whatever" twist of the night. The second was Tami getting offered the Dean of Admissions job at some small college back east. Now, Tami's a great educator and advocate, but there's no way a school like that is going to hire someone with zero teaching experience, a limited guidance counseling background, and a failed principalship. Most deans need teaching, research, and work experience before reaching that level. Oh, and a doctorate doesn't hurt either. I let it slide when Tyra got into UT and when Mrs. Taylor become principal, but I have my limits. Yes, FNL is fiction, but having too many unrealistic moments can be counterproductive.

GRADE: B-

Thursday
The Vampire Diaries: "The Descent"

The CW's The Vampire Diaries started its return slowly with too much emphasis on werewolves, dying vampires, and unnecessary love triangles, but ended on a high note. Watching Damon and Elena deal with Rose's werewolf bite induced dementia and ultimate demise. Rose's story tried to tug at the heartstrings a little too much and was a wee bit melodramatic, but seeing Damon admit that he misses his humanity made it all worth it. Probably my least favorite storyline this season has been the brewing love triangle between Caroline, Tyler, and Matt so I wasn't jazzed that the B-plot focused on them. Maybe it's because I'm over love triangles (or the fact that I still like the idea of Stefan and Caroline together), but I couldn't make myself care about any of it. At least Candice Accola had some good scenes though. "The Descent" wasn't the strongest episode of the season, but The Vampire Diaries is still one of the better show's on TV so of course I'll be sticking around.

GRADE: C+

Community: "Celebrity Pharmacology"

I'm going to say it again, Community (along with Glee and Modern Family) is in a sophomore slump because there hasn't been a Season 2 episode that's been on par with Season 1. "Epidemiology" was close, and I have liked some of the more character driven moments that involved Troy, Abed, and Annie, but there hasn't been a standout episode. "Celebrity Pharmacology" revolved around an anti-drug skit put on by the gang, and how Pierce manipulated Annie in order to hog the spotlight. I wasn't a fan of any of the Pierce moments, and his bonding with Annie felt forced, but there were enough funny moments to keep the episode from bombing. Troy continued his streak of killer lines, I enjoyed seeing Annie grow up, and even Chang was tolerable, but overall the episode was weak...not horrible, but not the show's best.

GRADE: C-

Nikita: "Free"

After an extended hiatus, the CW's Nikita made its return. Alex was made an agent and given a new life, apartment, and other swag to maintain a cover, which attracted her new neighbor. While Alex transitioned to her new life, Nikita was determined to keep her safe by hijacking Birkoff's laptop (with the help of potential suitor Ryan Fletcher) so she could retransmit a signal coming from Alex's tracking chip which could kill her. Nikita was successful at helping Alex have a normal life, but her protege's determined to take Division down. "Free" was a good episode back from the break because it kicked off Alex's new role on the show but also shed light on her life before Division. My only minor gripe had to do with all of the "relationship" stuff. I understand that the CW wants Nikita to draw in more female viewers, but I hope this shipper non-sense doesn't bring down the show.

GRADE: B-

Bones: "The Bullet in the Brain"

I've been pretty hard on Bones since I feel its quality has been lacking and has been focusing too much on B&B angst. So, "The Bullet in the Brain" must have been a good episode for me to include it on the Report Card. This week's Bones might have been one of the best in a long, long time. The Gravedigger was taken out by a professional sniper, so we got a tiny glimpse of Booth's former life. To make things even better, "The Bullet in the Brain" was also heavy on Sweets, and his scene with Caroline about their reaction to the Gravedigger's murder was amazing. This episode, along with "The Doctor in the Photo", might have gotten me back on the Bones bandwagon, but the show is still spending too much time on the will they, won't they drama. On the bright side, we have been getting a lot of Booth & Sweets too, and I can't complain about that.

GRADE: A-

Parks and Recreation: "Flu Season"

Like I mentioned last week, I'm still new to the Parks and Rec game, so my allegiance is not as strong as others. So many people have talked about how great this show is, and while I find it funny, I don't find myself in the same camp. Some critics like Alan Sepinwall wrote about how "Flu Season" was one of the premier episodes of P&R, but I didn't find myself laughing as much as I expected. I'll admit that the Ron & Andy scenes were brilliant, and they pretty much saved the episode. Even watching Chris deal with being sick made me laugh more than once. To me the weakest link was Leslie being tripped out due to her fever and flu medicine. Yes, Amy Poehler did a good job, but the gag got old fast, and she was overshadowed by Adam Scott. I get that "Flu Season" was supposed to be more character driven and a glimpse at the parks department, but I wasn't floored with laughter. I was still entertained, but I'm still not seeing why so many people love this show so much.

GRADE: B

30 Rock: "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning"

Originally, I wasn't going to add 30 Rock to the TV Report line-up since I only started watching the show live last week, but "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning" made me laugh more than Community and Parks & Rec combined. The writer's room story about Lutz and his car fell flat, but Jack's telethon and the Liz/Tracy fight brought the funny. Watching Jack concoct a pre-emptive telethon for a natural disaster that hadn't even occurred yet was both insane and brilliant. Bonus points for actually putting on the telethon when Mel Gibson's private island was destroyed, and the swipe at Jon Gosselin added a little zing. I was also pleased with how the show shined a spotlight on Liz and Tracy's relationship, and their argument to the tune of "Uptown Girl" killed me. Good stuff.

GRADE: B

Friday
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena: "Missio"

The first episode of Gods of the Arena relied too much on what made Blood and Sand a guilty pleasure: sex and violence. "Missio" on the other hand focused on what made the first series great: characterization and drama. After the beating Batiatus took in "Past Transgressions", he was determined to take his revenge on Vettisu by jumping him and stealing a client from under him. While convincing Titus to use his gladiators, Batiatus once again proved how cold and calculating he can be by using others to fulfill his own goals. At the start, I was rooting for Batiatus as he conned his way to the top, but by episode's end I remembered what a bastard he can be, which made "Missio" brilliant.

GRADE: B+

Wow, that was a lot of TV to write about. Unfortunately, I didn't even get to include other shows like Lights Out, which had a good episode this week but I had to leave it out to keep the Report Card from getting overly bloated, and other shows might not make the cut next week. I guess there's too much good TV on right now, and I can't really complain.